Defence relations between Vietnam and India have been growing vigorously over the past years with more and more areas included, said Vietnamese Deputy Defence Minister Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh.
During his interview granted to Vietnam News Agency reporters on the sidelines of the ninth bilateral defence strategic dialogue in New Delhi, the deputy defence minister said the expanding defence cooperation between the two countries can be attributed to the defence dialogue mechanism at the deputy ministerial level which was set up in 2007. The mechanism provides a venue for the two countries to discuss security issues of common concern and define specific measures and projects for more extensive and result-oriented cooperation.
He noted that the establishment of a strategic partnership in 2007 has resulted in strong developments in bilateral ties in all fields from politics, economy, and culture-society to defence, security, and religion.
In the realm of defence cooperation, the strategic partnership also allows Vietnam and India to build deep and firm mutual trust as well as expand their joint activities, ranging from personnel training, delegation exchange to defence technology.
At this year’s dialogue, the two sides started out on working together in high-technology such as information technology and mechanical engineering to serve the defence industry, he added.
The Deputy Minister said he strongly believes in the sustainable development of Vietnam-India relations, including defence ties, since they share a number of strategic interests as well as opportunities and challenges during the national construction and protection.-VNA
